This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7 119 from an application for TRIODIC RECTIFIER SWITCH earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Nov. 29, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 2000-71451.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a triodic rectifier switch (TRS) and more particularly to a triodic rectifier switch for a display device.
2. Description of Related Art
The triode rectifier switch is one of those used as a switching element of, for example, a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and an organic EL (electroluminescent) display.
The triode rectifier switch is simpler in the manufacturing process and lower in cost than a thin film transistor (TFT). Also, the triode rectifier switch has advantages in that it can independently control a signal voltage differently from other switching elements, and it has low leakage current characteristics different from a switching element having a combination of a diode and a capacitor.
When a flat panel display is driven using such a triode rectifier switch, a very low off-current is required to obtain a good gray scale.
However, the conventional triode rectifier switch generates a very high off-current or leakage current by a reverse bias voltage due to its material property. For example, the leakage current is generated at the interface between ITO (indium tin oxide, i.e., upper electrode) and semiconductor layer.
Electric characteristics or I-V characteristics depend on an on-current/off-current ratio and a leakage current. Therefore, the conventional triode rectifier switch has very bad electric characteristics. Also, the leakage current deteriorates the gray scale.
Exemplars of the art are U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,457 issued to Hashimoto et al., for Display and its Driving Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,264 issued to Fujikawa et al., for LCD Device Having a Switching Element with Reduced Size and Capacitance and Method for Fabricating the Same, U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,991 issued to Akiyama, for Liquid Crystal Display, U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,484 issued to Verhulst, for Liquid Crystal Display Device with Control Circuit, U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,797 issued to Van Dijk, for Display Device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,591 issued to Kanemori et al., for Active Matrix Display Device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,889 issued to Kaneko et al., for Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display Using MIM Diodes Having Symmetrical Voltage-current Characteristics as Switching Elements, U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,022 issued to Shannon, for Liquid Crystal Display Device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,534 issued to Hirai, for Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display with Series-connected MIM Structures as a Switching Element, U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,050 issued to Akiba et al, for Method of Manufacturing Thin Film Diode, U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,250 issued to Hains, for Matrix Display Device, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,048 issued to Knapp, for Matrix Display Systems.
It is therefore an object of the present invention provide a triodic rectifier switch having excellent electric characteristics.
It is another object to have a switching element for a display device that is easy to manufacture.
It is yet another object to have a switching element for a display device that is inexpensive.
In order to achieve the above and other objects, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a triodic rectifier switch (TRS). The triode rectifier switch includes at least one first diode connected to a data line, at least two second diodes connected to a load capacitor, and a resistor having one terminal connected to a scan line and the other terminal connected to a node between the first diodes and the second diodes. The triode rectifier switch further includes at least one reset diode having one terminal connected to a node between the first and second diodes and the other terminal connected to a reset line.
The second diodes are serially-connected to each other. The first to third diodes are a junction diode, a schottky diode or an MIM-diode (metal-insulator-metal diode).